Ono Island AlabamaTourists often pass by the Ono Island Bridge just off Perdido Beach Boulevard and wonder what is on the other side. That bridge is the only way a vehicle can get on the island, and it has a guard on duty 24 hours a day. Unless you buy a home, or you are a guest of an owner, you aren't likely to find out first-hand. If you are thinking about buying property on the island, a real estate salesperson will get you on the island in a hurry. The median price of a home on the island has been estimated at $1 million.So what is on Ono Island Alabama? There are no shops, restaurants or other commercial establishments except for the Ono Realty office. There is a fire station, water tower, two recreation centers and, an administrative center (Ono House.)  To say that Ono Island is "exclusive" would be an understatement. The island's roads never have traffic jams. Well maintained sidewalks border the streets. Canals have been dug throughout the island and many residents have boats. Some of the island's home have lush landscaping, while others have a natural Alabama coastal look-- all of it is attractive it its own way. Ono Island Alabama has always been the subject of much speculation regarding celebrity owners. I have heard the names Tom Selleck, Jimmy Buffett, Reba McIntyre, Britney Spears, Woody Harrelson, and Dolly Parton mentioned. Unless they arrive by helicopter or boat and stay in their homes, I doubt if any of them have ever lived there, even part of the time. The island is certainly rich enough for celebrities, but I don't think there's enough there to keep them busy. And I haven't seen any crowds of autograph seekers on the beach. Nor have I seen Britney in Wal-Mart or McDonald's. Ono Island wasn't always an island. Until a hurricane cut it off from the mainland in 1906 it was a peninsula called Point Ornocor that extended from present-day Alabama Point. In the 1920s, wild goats roamed the island. Nearby residents eventually brought their own goats to graze there. George Ray Kee built the first house (really just a shack) on the island. George and his brother Harville brought more goats to the island; estimates vary between 2,000 and 5,000. They didn't get rich in the goat business-- they sold them for $1 each (only 50 cents if the buyer caught his own goat). Along the way the island picked up a new name-- George Kee's Island. (A nearby island, present-day Robinson Island, was called Goat Island. Why it got the honor, I haven't been able to discover). As time progressed and the value of coastal property began to grow a little, Kee was asked to vacate the island. Apparently, he never legally owned any of it. During World War II, Old River, the water between Ono Island and Perdido Key Fl and Orange Beach Al, was used by the Navy for target practice. Another resident didn't move onto the island until 1963. His name was John Calhoun Golightly who had been part owner (with two friends) of the eastern third of the island since 1945. They bought one third of Ono Island for $3000 at an estate sale. Around this time the island had picked up the name Puma Island because several locals had reported seeing a pair of pumas (cougars) there. The name "Ono Island" is said to have originated when the State of Florida and the State of Alabama were negotiating ownership: "Oh no! this is ours!" There are rental homes on Ono Island Alabama. Check with a rental agent for availability. |
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